Bruce Dowbiggin
Fission For Truth: Oppenheimer The Genius, The Hero, The Communist
Snap movie review: What The Right Stuff was to the space race, Oppenheimer is to the race to create The Atomic Bomb— plus, Communism.
Yes, Christopher Nolan turning a film about the esoteric building of the Bomb into virtuoso cinema is stunning. So is juggling a cast laden with stars such as Cillian Murphy, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, Tom Conti, Remi Malek and Gary Oldman. In Nolan’s telling Oppenheimer might just as well have been named It’s Complicated as he’s swallowed by the vicious politics surrounding him urging more and bigger bombs.
Less surprising, considering today’s zeitgeist, is Oppenheimer’s lengthy diversion into communist politics in the West from 1930-1960. Liberal Hollywood is still obsessed with the 1950s House Un-American Activities Committee blacklist that saw the film community split by those, like Elia Kazan, who testified about their Commie past, and those like Charlie Chaplin, Ring Lardner Jr., and Orson Welles who clammed up— and lost much of their livelihood.
Previous Tinseltown efforts to demonize senator Joseph McCarthy’s anti-communists include Good Night, And Good Luck about journalist Edward R. Murrow’s defiance of HUAC; The Way We Were with dedicated lefties Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford as star-crossed commies in 1950s Hollywood; The Front with Woody Allen as a beard for writers barred from Hollywood; Trumbo with Bryan Cranston as the eponymous Dalton Trumbo, the banned screen writer; Chaplin with Downey Jr. as Charlie Chaplin pursued by the HUAC heavies; and Hail Caesar! the Coen Brothers’ witty spoof on Hollywood communism.
Oppenheimer is not them. In lesser hands the father of the atomic bomb would be a naïf, the baddies really, really bad. Maybe the A bomb would be a setup job, like Covid-19, from the powers of the day. He never stood a chance. But Nolan is not a studio hack.
Given the collective artistic amnesia about HUAC, Nolan patiently recreates the times as America heads into its existential race for the atomic bomb against Nazi Germany. Many of intellectuals on the Manhattan Project were disillusioned by WW I and the Depression and— inspired by the Russian Revolution— saw the future in communism. They permeated every layer of the state, right up the Queen Elizabeth’s art consultant.
Nolan’s take on Oppenheimer empathizes with their worldview. His friends, lovers and colleagues are all— or were— unapologetic Marxists. He is tailed by the FBI, pestered by union leaders. But Oppenheimer, played hauntingly by Murphy, apparently steers clear of getting a card in the Party, especially when the U.S. Army pays a call and General Louis Gates, played by Damon, asks him to lead the Manhattan Project.
In this principal plot line, the U.S., not the Nazis, get the Bomb. Nolan orchestrates a great chase that ends up with Oppenheimer a national hero for his work. And a target on his back. Oppenheimer, now guilt-stricken over the impact of the bombs, tells president Harry Truman that he has blood on his hands after Nagasaki and Hiroshima. To which Gary Oldman’s Truman calls him a “cry-baby scientist… I don’t want to see that son of a bitch in this office ever again.”
Here the film might easily have concluded to the satisfaction of many. But Nolan shows Oppenheimer later punished for preaching détente with the Russians, sharing nuclear secrets to create mutually assured destruction (which eventually happened). The final scenes where he’s denied his security clearance under cross examination from actor Jason Clarke are brutal— then he’s betrayed by Lewis Strauss, his mentor at the Atomic Energy Commission. There are suggestions that ant-semitism— many of the Manhattan Project scientists are Jews— also plays a part is his being banned.
Ambivalence is at the heart of Oppenheimer. Nolan sees his protagonist as a brilliant-but-flawed man. But, like the authors Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin, whose book was the source for Oppenheimer, he sees no communist.
However, that conclusion is under assault. Researchers Harvey Klehr and John Earl Haynes insist that even when their biography came out in 2005, “there was already abundant evidence that Oppenheimer had indeed once been a member of the Communist Party of the United States. Their efforts to explain away or obfuscate the clear evidence that Oppenheimer lied under oath about it have been further eroded by material that has emerged from Russian archives since. But… writer-director Christopher Nolan did not look deeper into the question when he crafted his screenplay.”
While useful idiots like singer Pete Seeger were in denial about the USSR’s spying well into the 1970s, many fellow travellers had begun to see the horror’s of Stalin’s Russia in the 40s, the pitiless show-trial politics and the murder of millions by a cruel orthodoxy. They’re given a pass here as duped innocents, even when the USSR signs the Molotov pact with the Nazis and the Rosenburg’s perfidy was exposed.
Rather than fess up, most simply pivoted on Marxism, saying “That wasn’t real Communism under Stalin”— a line they repeated about Mao, Pol Pot and other heartless dictators. As we see today, they’re making a comeback under the guise of world government or financial controls.
Perhaps the most amazing thing about Nolan’s impressive movie is the fact that a three-hour drama about a science nerd in the 1940s is on its way to earning a billion dollars at the box office. Just when most had surrendered film output to comic-book heroes, #BLM propaganda and feminist rom-coms, Oppenheimer is a celluloid unicorn.
Yes, the IMAX-enhanced depictions of particle physics and atomic fission are as stunning as Spiderman or Batman (a previous subject for Nolan). So is the magnetic soundtrack. But this is a movie to which you must give your attention the entire time. It’s for adults, and we can hope that more of this intelligent subject material is permitted.
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Bruce Dowbiggin @dowbboy is the editor of Not The Public Broadcaster A two-time winner of the Gemini Award as Canada’s top television sports broadcaster, he’s a regular contributor to Sirius XM Canada Talks Ch. 167. Inexact Science: The Six Most Compelling Draft Years In NHL History, his new book with his son Evan, was voted the seventh-best professional hockey book of all time by bookauthority.org . His 2004 book Money Players was voted sixth best on the same list, and is available via http://brucedowbigginbooks.ca/book-personalaccount.aspx
With the Americans winning the first game 3-1, a sense of panic crept over Canada as it headed to Game 2 in Boston. Losing a political battle with Trump was bad enough, but losing hockey bragging rights heading into a federal election was catastrophic for the Family Compact.
“It’s also more political than the (1972) Summit Series was, because Canada’s existence wasn’t on the line then, and it may be now. You’re damn right Canadians should boo the (U.S.) anthem.” Toronto Star columnist Bruce Arthur before Gm. 1 of USA/ Canada in The 4 Nations Cup.
The year 2025 is barely half over on Canada Day. There is much to go before we start assembling Best Of Lists for the year. But as Palestinian flags duel with the Maple Leaf for prominence on the 158th anniversary of Canada’s becoming a sovereign country it’s a fair guess that we will settle on Febuary 21 as the pivotal date of the year— and Canada’s destiny as well.
That was the date of Game 2 in the U.S./Canada rivalry at the Four Nations Tournament. Ostensibly created by the NHL to replace the moribund All Star format, the showdown of hockey nations in Boston became much more. Jolted by non-sports factors it became a pivotal moment in modern Canadian history.
Set against U.S. president Donald Trump’s bellicose talk of Canada as a U.S. state and the Mike Myers/ Mark Carney Elbows Up ad campaign, the gold-medal game evoked, for those of a certain age, memories of the famous 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the USSR. And somehow produced an unprecedented political reversal in Canadian elections.
As we wrote on Feb. 16 after Gm. 1 in Montreal, the Four Nations had been meant to be something far less incendiary. “Expecting a guys’ weekend like the concurrent NBA All Star game, the fraternal folks instead got a Pier Six brawl. It was the most stunning beginning to a game most could remember in 50 years. (Not least of all the rabid Canadian fanbase urging patriotism in the home of Quebec separation) Considering this Four Nations event was the NHL’s idea to replace the tame midseason All Star Game where players apologize for bumping into each other during a casual skate, the tumult as referees tried to start the game was shocking.
“Despite public calls for mutual respect, the sustained booing of the American national anthem and the Team Canada invocation by MMA legend Georges St. Pierre was answered by the Tkachuck brothers, Matthew and Brady, with a series of fights in the first nine seconds of the game. Three fights to be exact ,when former Canuck J.T. Miller squared up with Brandon Hagel. (All three U.S. players have either played on or now play for Canadian NHL teams.)
“Premeditated and nasty. To say nothing of the vicious mugging of Canada’s legend Sidney Crosby behind the U.S. net moments later by Charlie McEvoy.”
With the Americans winning the game 3-1 on Feb. 15, a sense of panic crept over Canada as it headed to Game 2 in Boston. Losing a political battle with Trump was bad enough, but losing hockey bragging rights heading into a federal election was catastrophic for the Family Compact. As we wrote in the aftermath, a slaughter was avoided.
“In the rematch for a title created just weeks before by the NHL the boys stuck to hockey. Anthem booing was restrained. Outside of an ill-advised appearance by Wayne Gretzky— now loathed for his Trump support— the emphasis was on skill. Playing largely without injured Matthew and Brady Tkachuk and McAvoy, the U.S. forced the game to OT where beleaguered goalie Craig Binnington held Canada in the game until Connor McDavid scored the game winner. “
The stunning turnaround in the series produced a similar turnaround in the Canadian federal election. Galvanized by Trump’s 51st State disrespect and exhilarated by the hockey team’s comeback, voters switched their votes in huge numbers to Carney, ignoring the abysmal record of the Liberals and their pathetic polling. From Pierre Poilievre having a 20-point lead in polls, hockey-besotted Canada flipped to award Carney a near-majority in the April 28 election.
The result stunned the Canadian political class and international critics who questioned how a single sporting event could have miraculously rescued the Liberals from themselves in such a short time.
While Canada soared because of the four Nations, a Canadian icon crashed to earth. “Perhaps the most public outcome was the now-demonization of Gretzky in Canada. Just as they had with Bobby Orr, another Canadian superstar living in America, Canadians wiped their hands of No. 99 over politics. Despite appeals from Orr, Don Cherry and others, the chance to make Gretzky a Trump proxy was too tempting.
We have been in several arguments on the subject among friends: Does Gretzky owe Canada something after carrying its hockey burden for so long? Could he have worn a Team Canada jersey? Shouldn’t he have made a statement that he backs Canada in its showdown with Trump? For now 99 is 0 in his homeland.”
Even now, months later, the events of late February have an air of disbelief around them, a shift so dramatic and so impactful on the nation that many still shake their heads. Sure, hockey wasn’t the device that blew up Canada’s politics. But it was the fuse that created a crater in the country.
Bruce Dowbiggin @dowbboy is the editor of Not The Public Broadcaster A two-time winner of the Gemini Award as Canada’s top television sports broadcaster, his new book Deal With It: The Trades That Stunned The NHL And Changed hockey is now available on Amazon. Inexact Science: The Six Most Compelling Draft Years In NHL History, his previous book with his son Evan, was voted the seventh-best professional hockey book of all time by bookauthority.org . His 2004 book Money Players was voted sixth best on the same list, and is available via brucedowbigginbooks.ca.
This just in. Connor McDavid is on track to be the greatest hockey player ever. Apologies to the Gretz/ Orr/ Howe partisans. But if he stays healthy and gets the hell out of Edmonton he will be hands-down the best ever. He is equal measures of Gretzky’s intuitive genius, Orr’s 200-foot impact. Howe’s sandpaper attitude. It’s an honour to watch him.
We know, we know, if he is so great why couldn’t he get the Oilers over the hump, particularly the past two seasons against Florida? Gretz, Orr, Howe all won Stanley Cups while leading their teams. So did Mario Lemieux. Fair point. But Howe in his prime never played more than two series in the postseason. Orr often played just three. Gretz teams often bagelled opponents for years.
McDavid’s teams the last two years have had lengthy paths to tred. Just getting to a Final is a huge accomplishment. Repeating that feat (going seven then six games) in the Final is humungous. It’s exhausting, mentally and physically. That’s why so few teams do it.
Still, that’s not the point. We have been asking since 2018 how long McDavid will hobble his legacy by staying in Edmonton. Those early columns were talking about a team that missed playoffs or did a Maple Leafs fold early on. The current iteration of the Oilers has gotten to the brink. They have players who’ve been around a while. And fell short.
Now the Oilers are an old team, the oldest in the regular season, the oldest team in the playoffs this year. Teams carrying more than two plus-30 players have a miserable track record of winning Cups. And the Oilers have zero Grade A prospects in the pipeline. At 28, McDavid is a young guy on their roster. Not good.
As the hockey world knows he can sign an extension on July 1 to follow the contract he has now. Money will be no object as the NHL salary cap (finally) goes up. Term will be forever if he wants it. His running mate Leon Draisaitl is tied up till age 36. The Oilers desperately want him to stay after the Gretzky fiasco in 1988. So what is he going to do? He’s got national endorsements in Canada, but in the U.S.? Connor who? The sky is the limit.
Oilers fans palpitating over the future of their star were looking for hints as to his mindset when he met the media following the Oilers loss in six games to Florida. It was a chance for him to say he’s staying, he loves the place, his wife is committed to freezing every winter in the Alberta capital. He could have cried and said “Mess told me not to do that”.
What they got was a lot of maybe. Yes, he kept the doors open, but he said he needs time to see the landscape till the clock tolls on July 1. He needs to examine whether this veteran team has a future. Because in a few years they’ll be like Howe’s Detroit teams in the 60s, a played-out dynasty.
Under NHL rules no team can contact him about signing. But he will know that everyone will want him at a max deal. Some will offer no state income tax. Some will have teams on the cusp of the Cup he desires (see Matthew Tkachuk to Florida in 2023). Some will be giant U.S. media cities with the ability to make him what Gretzky became in L.A. Some will offer warm weather and anonymity away from the rink.
These are all knowns. For the impatient, teams can approach the Oilers now about a trade. So he’s holding all the cards. It’s prom night and he gets his pick. Unless Edmonton (gulp) jumps the gun on a trade.
Let’s play Peter Pocklington for a minute here and see this from the Oilers’ POV. Pocklington traded Gretzky, because Peter was broke. That’s not Darryl Katz’s problem. His problem is his team is about to get ancient. There is no McDavid for Draisaitl on the horizon. Plus, you’ve tied up several players (Nurse, Nugent Hopkins) to contracts they can’t hope to play up to. And youngish players coming into free agency.
He must address the other side of the 1988 Gretzky equation. How to get full market value for a superstar? Which means getting another star to help Draisaitl going forward. You could let the two play out the string together in Edmonton, of course. But with so many strong teams in Colorado, Vegas, Dallas, even Winnipeg that would be a hard slog. And by the time you realized that it would be too late.
The smart play, as Michael Corleone would say, is move fast. Trade McDavid before the start of next season for a boatload of young players to supplement Draisaitl. Take a short-term PR hit but live to compete another day.
Of course, Katz is not going to trade McDavid. He’s a fanboy owner. He’ll throw the Rexall kitchen sink at him and hope that’s enough. McDavid will be patient (if he’s smart). The “will-he-sign?” drama will bleed into the next season, a millstone for the team. The distractions will mount before Edmonton realizes that an unsigned McDavid is a liability. And Connor on a max deal with a minus team is no bargain either.
Remember the re-structured Oilers won a Cup in 1990 using Mark Messier and the players they got for Gretzky. Think about it, Edmonton.
Bruce Dowbiggin @dowbboy is the editor of Not The Public Broadcaster A two-time winner of the Gemini Award as Canada’s top television sports broadcaster, his new book Deal With It: The Trades That Stunned The NHL And Changed hockey is now available on Amazon. Inexact Science: The Six Most Compelling Draft Years In NHL History, his previous book with his son Evan, was voted the seventh-best professional hockey book of all time by bookauthority.org . His 2004 book Money Players was voted sixth best on the same list, and is available via brucedowbigginbooks.ca.
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